MY LIPS THINNED as I stared at the table Rex had put up in his apartment, a stack of multicolored boxes and bags crowding it.  “Why are there presents?  I thought I said no gifts.”

Rex simply shook his head and walked away.

Jack laughed.  “It’s a graduation party, Kory.  Gifts are a given.”  He put a balloon to his lips and sucked.  “And you’re the star of the show.”  The high pitched munchkin voice sounded ridiculous coming from such a big guy.

I scowled.  “I think you’ve already lost enough brain cells.  Should you be inhaling that?  It might kill the ones you have left.”

“Ha ha.”  He playfully nudged me. 

I bit my lip to staunch the smile trying to break through.

I’d graduated.  Yes, that was right.  Me, rebellious, troublemaker Kory Colt finally made it through high school.  Not unscathed, but alive.

I didn’t remember much that day after I’d killed Lorne and Aurora healed Kye.  Lorne’s demon toxins crept up on me and knocked my ass out.  Portia and Hunter informed The Council of everything except my parents.  They wanted to remain off their radar at least for now.  Wallace had been surprised Ash was Kye’s ally at Amarose.  They never suspected him.

They were even more surprised when they learned Lucius had been stalking me for the last few years.  They’d been so focused on Kye, he’d completely slipped by them.  Hunter and Portia told them how Kye sacrificed himself for me, and Aurora brought him back.  If the goddess wanted Kye alive, they wouldn’t touch him.

Now that I wasn’t in danger, The Council was ready for a visit from Rex and me.  They wanted to interview us about our caetera bond and run some tests.  I shivered every time I thought about it.  White uniforms and giant labs came to mind.  Rex assured me everything would be fine.  If we could survive the ultimate evil, we could get through a couple of medical examinations.

We didn’t exactly have a choice.

The headmaster position at Amarose Academy had been given to Ian.  I couldn’t have pictured anyone better than him to lead the school. 

The rest of the year quickly sped by.  We ran The Gauntlet again.  I won, much to Alec’s dismay.  He came in second and Braelyn third.

Rex and the boys had insisted on throwing me a graduation party.  Bryson was so excited about it, I didn’t have the heart to protest.  My parents had been invited of course.  My mother was in the kitchen helping decorate my cake.  Portia and my father were upstairs, looking at Rex’s collection of weapons.  Hunter was talking with Brett about sports.

Things remained a little tense with my parents.  I couldn’t just forgive them for leaving me even if they’d thought it was the right thing to do.  And I had to get used to the demon part.  They seemed happier after Aurora took some of their darkness.  Lighter. 

Still, I worried one day they could lose the fight with the darkness that remained.  What would happen when I was dead and gone?  They were immortal.  Would they always fight so hard to stay good?

I worried over the same thing with Kye.  Was he only good now because of our connection or had Aurora seen something in him?  Was that why she brought him back?

After we left the abandoned church, Kye released the ferrums he’d taken.  He was hiding them right under our noses in a sprawling mansion close to Amarose.  None of them were injured and were very well taken care of.  The ones that had already been turned, well, we couldn’t do anything about that.   

Kye was at the party, but he disappeared a little while ago.  Things had been weird for him.  He didn’t quite know what to do with himself.  He remained near Amarose until I graduated and followed us back to Bishop City.  Rex was annoyed by his presence, but his good heart couldn’t make him leave.  Kye had died for me.  And he made it clear he’d do it again. 

He still wouldn’t tell me what Aurora whispered to him, but I intended to find out.

“I’ll be right back,” I told Rex before heading out the door.

Kye was on the roof overlooking Bishop City.  His blonde hair blew in the warm spring wind.

“Too much normalcy going on for you downstairs?”  I sidled up next to him.

His lips curled into a lopsided smile.  “Too crowded maybe.”  His gaze remained on this cityscape, staring pensively.

An ache pulsed through my chest.  I knew what was coming.  “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”  I hated the shake to my voice.

Kye jammed his hands in his jean pockets.  “I don’t belong here.”

My jaw clenched as I bit back the unshed tears threatening to fall.  I would not cry in front of him.  So what if he promised he’d never leave me, that I was his number one priority?  Things changed.

Those blue eyes settled on me, so much warmer than they used to be.  “Don’t think I’m abandoning you, Koralein,” he said as if he read my mind.  “I’ll always be here if you need me.”  His hands gently landed on my shoulders, turning me toward him.  “Do you understand?”

“What if I don’t want you to go?” I whispered.

The edges of his lips twitched.  “As much as I like hearing that, I know it’s only half true.”  A long sigh drifted from his mouth. “Rex is your caetera.  I never was.  Not really.”

“But you’re something to me.”  I mentally cursed.  Why was I acting like he was breaking up with me?  I had a boyfriend.  His name was Rex.  I didn’t need two.

Kye’s hands lifted to my face, gently cradling it.  “We’ll always be connected whether we’re ten inches away or ten thousand miles.  Nothing will ever change that.” 

His head tilted down, and I didn’t stop him.  His lips brushed against mine, soft and warm.  I hadn’t kissed him since Aurora brought him back.  He tasted the same, that sweet demon scent mixed with cold winter. 

The kiss didn’t last long, and it wasn’t heated and passionate.  Just achingly slow.  Kye laid his forehead on mine, his lids remaining closed as he breathed me in. 

“What will you do?” I asked.

He shrugged.  “I don’t know yet.  I have a lot to atone for.”

My brow furrowed, and I pulled back.  “Does this have anything to do with what the goddess told you when she brought you back?”

Kye shot me an incredulous expression.  “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

I crossed my arms against my chest.  “Nope.”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to keep waiting.”  He smiled at my expression.

“You’re impossible.”

“I’ll tell you one thing.”  Kye’s hands dropped from my face.  “I feel different.  I am different.”  His long fingers plucked the hem of his shirt, pulling it up to his neck. 

A garbled gasp tumbled from my mouth.  “Oh my goddess.”  About a dozen broken infinity marks were stamped down the left side of his ribs.  “How is this possible?”  My fingers traced them, his muscles jumping beneath my touch.  “Demons don’t get broken infinity marks.”  Kye never killed any demons before he turned into one.

“I know.” He released his shirt.  “I’d been hunting around Amarose, cleaning up my mess and Lorne’s.  For every demon I killed, one appeared.”

I stared up at Kye, understanding dawning over me.  He needed to find his purpose, and it had something to do with hunting demons.  Aurora brought him back for a reason, and it wasn’t just to make me happy.  This was about him and his soul. 

His redemption.

“I get it now, Kye.”  I took a deep breath, choking back the sadness.

He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.  “I’ve got to go.”

My eyes widened.  “Now?”

“No time like the present.”  He pressed a kiss to my cheek and whispered in my ear.  “This isn’t goodbye.  I’ll see you again.”  He pulled back. 

“Please tell me you’re leaving.”  Rex appeared through a cloud of steam, his annoyed expression only half serious. 

Kye shot him a crooked grin.  “For now.  But I’ll be back.”  He winked.  “Can’t stay away from our girl forever.”

“My girl,” Rex corrected, standing close to me and giving Kye a glare that didn’t pack the usual punch of danger.  “Don’t get yourself killed.”

Kye chuckled.  “I’ve already died once.  Getting rid of me isn’t that easy.”

My eyes narrowed, and I popped my hands on my hips.  “If you die, I swear I will get Aurora to bring you back again so I can kill you myself.”

“Don’t worry, Koralein.”  He blew me a kiss.  “When you miss me, all you have to do is dream of me, and I’ll be there.”

Rex rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath.

I shook my head, biting back a smile.  “You don’t know when to shut up, do you?”

Kye stepped up on the ledge, glancing over his shoulder one last time.  His deep blue eyes burned through the night.  “Kill some demons for me.”  He dropped off and disappeared into the darkness.

My smile quickly faded, and a lump rose in my throat.  He was gone.

Rex’s arms wrapped around me, and I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his spicy scent.  “Are you okay?”

I nodded.  “He had to go.” 

Rex tilted my chin up.  “Are you ready for your first official day on the job tomorrow?”

I shot him a dark smile.  “Hell yes.  I don’t think the demons are.”

He shook his head.  “They have no idea what’s coming.”  He leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine.

Now that I had graduated and school was over, we could be together.  It was an amazing and intoxicating feeling.  And addicting.  Keeping my hands off him was hard.

“Hmm,” he mumbled against my lips.  “I’m starting to rethink this party thing.  I’d really like you all to myself right now.”

I grinned.  “The feeling is mutual.”

Rex pulled away.  “We better get back before Sven says something inappropriate about us in front of your parents.”  He grimaced.  “I really don’t want to fight with your dad.”

I waved him on.  “I’ll be down there in a sec.  I need a few more minutes.”

Rex nodded and turned away, disappearing around the corner.

A long sigh drifted from my mouth as I stared at the line of Bishop City.  Lights flashed, horns blared, and tires squealed.  Beyond the skyscrapers, the abandoned buildings and factories stood out like fractured bones on a pitch backdrop.  In the rundown part of the city, homeless and criminals roamed the night.  But they were nothing compared to the demons that stalked them.

And those demons were nothing compared to the ferrums that hunted them.

This city was mine.  The good.  The bad.  Like me, it was both.  And I would protect it.

A scream tore through the night.

My head jerked up, and movement scurried on the roof across the alley.  I sniffed the air, breathing in that saccharine scent.

Demon.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins.  I whipped my knife out, the blade looking liquid in the moonlight.  I judged the distance between this roof and the next. 

I could make it.  Easy as pie.

So I wasn’t technically a full-time hunter until tomorrow.  What were a few hours anyway?

I backed up, giving myself a good running distance just as sharp, gleaming teeth flashed through the shadows.

That demon had no idea who was coming for it.

I took off, launching myself from the ledge.  Wind whipped my soot-colored hair around my face.  My feet landed on the other roof, skidding across the loose gravel.  I took a moment to relish the demon’s surprised expression.

And then I gave chase.

 

The End

 

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Thanks for reading The Iron Series.  I hope you enjoyed Kory’s story as much as I did.

 

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